net calories not adding up

So i get that my net calories go down when i exercise, but im exercising more than i eat apparently. i know in some ways its a good thing, but so far my "Net" cals are only 43, and i have already ate dinner. I ate the right amount of cals, but i have burned over 1200 cals. and im not hungry, or depriving myself of food. any input?
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Replies

  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
    uhhh... eat more?
  • uhh, thanks, but if im not hungry im not going to eat. thats what got me here in the first place.
  • JosieRawr
    JosieRawr Posts: 788 Member
    I cut back on cardio because I wasn't netting healthy. one day every now n then I don't mind(in my own diary of course) but If I can't eat it back, I won't do it. (Especially if you have a already large deficient)
  • Kybelle132
    Kybelle132 Posts: 71 Member
    Are you using a hrm??? Its easy to over estimate cals burned.... If you really are only netting 43 cals you will burn out fast!
  • virichi08
    virichi08 Posts: 465 Member
    Try eating A LITTLE more, but remember that u dnt need to stuff ur face if u are full, also remember that some of the calories burned are sometimes a bit over estimates.
  • still need to get your recommended number of calories, if you can't eat enough, you need to exercise less <3 if your body doesn't get all the nutrition (including calories) it needs your organs and overall health won't be great
  • Over exercising leads to loss of appetite, try to eat the protein and some of the carbs.
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
    What excercise are you doing that burns that many cals?

    You should probably eat all of them back 43 net calories a day is way to low to sustain such a huge workout.
  • No im not using a hrm, but thanks i will try that. I do alot of swimming and that burns cals fast, but i dont feel like i have done anything if i dont. Thanks for the input though yall.
  • jennkain97
    jennkain97 Posts: 290 Member
    definitely use an HRM -- the estimates in the database are notoriously high! then, if you really need some extra calories some days, have a protein shake. about 130 calories/ 25 gram protein, and take up little room :wink:

    *** Just saw your last post. Polar FT7 can be used in the pool
  • good idea, i could probably use more protein
  • kali31337
    kali31337 Posts: 1,048 Member
    I know everyone says to eat back your exercise calories...but...I'm think if you aren't hungry then don't push it. When I first started on here, I didn't know how to plan my day very well & always had very low net calories. Now on the days that I work out, I make sure I have a high enough calorie breakfast or lunch so my net won't be in the dirt at the end of the day. I also think if you are burning that many calories during the day, you should definitely be eating way more.
  • I guess the over estimation is a big reason i quit myfitnesspal before, im on here for support and it seemed i was getting ragged for my net cals then i was getting support
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
    bump
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    What kind of input do you want? You've been told you should eat more, and you refuse to take that advice. What else is there but a pat on the back?
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    I know everyone says to eat back your exercise calories...but...I'm think if you aren't hungry then don't push it. When I first started on here, I didn't know how to plan my day very well & always had very low net calories. Now on the days that I work out, I make sure I have a high enough calorie breakfast or lunch so my net won't be in the dirt at the end of the day. I also think if you are burning that many calories during the day, you should definitely be eating way more.

    this and get a HRM or get calorie data from another website like Calorie Count or something. MFP's design can be very confusing.. I don't eat back calories btw, if I'm not hungry, I'm not hungry. I just make sure to meet my macro nutrient and calorie goals for the day. I've lost 13" so far in under two weeks with HIIT and 30 Day Shred.

    OP good luck!
  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
    girlfriend, nobody told you to stuff your face, but netting 43 calories a day isn't good. it really isn't hard to eat an extra 200-300 calories of protein/fat. eat some avocados and nuts and youre done.
  • Jules2Be
    Jules2Be Posts: 2,238 Member
    I guess the over estimation is a big reason i quit myfitnesspal before, im on here for support and it seemed i was getting ragged for my net cals then i was getting support

    supporting people is sometimes telling them what they do not want to hear.
    you should be netting at LEAST 1200 calories.
  • GabsMommy28
    GabsMommy28 Posts: 47 Member
    Just because people aren't telling you what you want to hear doesn't mean we aren't supporting you. We are supporting you by telling you you need to eat more to stay healthy with that much exercise. Try a protein shake before and after your swim. You need to fuel your body or you are going to get sick and no one wants that.
    Non of this is an attack. It's just faceless people on the internet trying to answer the question you asked.
    Good luck!
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    I guess the over estimation is a big reason i quit myfitnesspal before, im on here for support and it seemed i was getting ragged for my net cals then i was getting support

    We want people to be HEALTHY... not just get skinny. As such, when members see people who are doing something unhealthy like eating or netting way too few calories, we speak up. It IS support because we don't want you to have issues!
  • feverinside
    feverinside Posts: 29 Member
    I aint gonna say anything that hasn't already been said. But here are the facts IMO.

    -You gotta eat enough to keep yourself out of starvation mode in order to lose weight.

    -Swimming (unless you are seriously swimming for the length of time you say in your workouts) is a highly overestimated calorie burn on MFP based on my own experience. I spend 60 mins or so in the pool, and swim about 30%-50% of the time. Plus I float.. so treading water is barley neccesary for me. I usually log 20-30 mins for a swim... even though I am there for an hour. Again, based on my own experience... not yours. So what happens? If I log 60 min swims... I am told to eat more. If I eat more... I either gain weight or lose weight. I gained weight...w

    -Verdict: You need to stop worrying about other peoples opinions. If you are burning that much, net 43 cals and lose 1-2 pounds a week.... then keep doing it. On the other had, if you are not losing weight, then up your calories.

    -Personally, I would try to (as many people mentioned) find a way to more acuratley track you caloric burn. Buy something... or next time you go to the pool try to acuratley portray what you are burning.

    Again... all of this is IMO. You can do whatever you want to do. That is the main point here. When you see results/don't see results... that is when you need to change.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    Simple fix. Change you settings to moderately active and eat more on days you dont workout. You can look at calories on weekly basis. Also, eat more calories dense foods; nuts, protein shakes, cook foods in evoo or eat a few spoonfuls of peanut butter.
  • I'm sorry i guess i came at this the wrong way, the input i was looking for was not eat more-workout less. Because I'm sorry that's not going to happen, If I'm not hungry I'm not going to eat, and i love to work out.

    What i was more looking for was what healthy foods could i eat with higher cals to where i can still work out how i do, but to where I'm not under my cal count.

    and i work as a life guard so the amount i swim is accurate. i may just have to track the cals burned in a better way then the MFP database does.
  • murphy612
    murphy612 Posts: 734 Member
    I am one of those people that don't eat back my exercise calories (gasp!!) it just doesn't work for me. Everyone is different :) However, if I ever feel sluggish, extra hungry or if I feel my work outs are suffering from lack of energy I add some extra calories in there, usually some good carbs, like fruit and whole grains. Do what works for you. If you're not hungry don't eat. But if you notice a lack of energy while exercising or during the day you might want to add some calories. Good luck! I'm in NC too :)
  • jcpmoore
    jcpmoore Posts: 796 Member
    When you're tracking your food, be sure to track everything. I sometimes forget to add that tbsp of oil that I cooked the chicken in and such like that. Those little things will add up the calories fast.

    I'll be honest-I don't recommend eating when you're not hungry. Listen to your body. It will tell you what to do. You can try eating denser foods, but I'm not a big fan of most of them myself (don't like nuts). But adding good fats while cooking can help.

    Some foods that can help with the calorie count would be good carbohydrates- sweet potato, whole grain rice, whole grain anything really, and good fats such as oils, nuts, fish and such.

    HTH

    Hey gals, I'm in NC as well!
  • PinkEnvyx
    PinkEnvyx Posts: 172
    If you needed more food for energy your body will tell you. It knows more about how much of what it need and when more than anything or any one. Listen to it and don't worry about you numbers/ :smile:
  • I am one of those people that don't eat back my exercise calories (gasp!!) it just doesn't work for me. Everyone is different :) However, if I ever feel sluggish, extra hungry or if I feel my work outs are suffering from lack of energy I add some extra calories in there, usually some good carbs, like fruit and whole grains. Do what works for you. If you're not hungry don't eat. But if you notice a lack of energy while exercising or during the day you might want to add some calories. Good luck! I'm in NC too :)


    See that's my point! im not sluggish, i feel great! i have more energy then ever! and im sure if i was in STARVATION MODE every one seems to say i am, wouldn't i be tired? wouldn't my belly growl? wouldn't i kill over??? lmao but thanks, i was kinda surprised to she a helpful post. :)
  • thanks yall:)
  • Yes you might want to use a HRM because your exercise cals might be less than you think.
  • maddymama
    maddymama Posts: 1,183 Member
    Are you training for the Olympics? That's the only way I can see you burning over 1200 calories a day swimming (to net around 43)? (This coming from a former competitive swimmer.) I am serious. How much yardage are you covering in a day? How many hours are you in the pool a day?

    Personally, I put the calories burned training in the pool as similar to the calories burned while running (around 100 an hour). This is for vigorous training- hard sets, etc. If you are simply swimming laps,and not training with a coach, then I'd even drop your calorie count down from 100-ish an hour.

    Also, if you want help with food ideas, try to open up your food diary so we can see what you are eating to help give suggestions. I personally love to eat nuts as a snack. I also try to add avocado to almost everything I can. Those two items can add some healthy fat to your diet, and give your body some needed energy.